Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a substrate treating apparatus.
In general, various processes such as cleaning, deposition, photographing, etching, and ion implantation are performed to manufacture a semiconductor device. A photolithographic process performed to form a pattern plays an important role in achieving high integration of a semiconductor device.
The photographing process is performed to form a pattern on a substrate. In the photographing process, a coating process, an exposure process, and a development process are sequentially performed, and the processes include a plurality of substrate treating operations. The substrate treating operations undergo a process of temporarily preserving a substrate to perform the next operation after one treatment operation is performed. Because a treated substrate generally maintains a high temperature state in a process of temporarily preserving the substrate, a process of cooling the substrate is performed. Accordingly, a substrate treating apparatus for performing a photographing process on a substrate generally includes a cooling unit for cooling the substrate in a process of temporarily preserving the substrate.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a general cooling plate 30. Referring to FIG. 1, the cooling unit generally includes a cooling plate 30 which supports a substrate and in which a cooling passage 31, through which a cooling fluid flows, is formed in the interior thereof. The cooling plate 30 has a pin hole 32, through which a lift pin for lifting and lowering a substrate is elevated. A support boss 33 for preventing a substrate from directly contacting the cooling plate 30 may be provided on an upper surface of the cooling plate 30. However, there is a limit in increasing the height of the support boss 33 in consideration of the heat transfer and the spaces between the cooling plate 30 and the substrate. Accordingly, an upper surface of the cooling plate 30 and the substrate positioned on the cooling plate 30 are provided adjacent to each other. Therefore, when the lift pin lifts or lowers the substrate through the pin hole 32, the gases in a space between the upper surface of the cooling plate 30 and the substrate cannot smoothly flow. Accordingly, when the lift pin lifts the substrate through the pin hole 32, the substrate vibrates due to a pressure difference between the space and an exterior space. Further, when the lift pin lifts the substrate through the pin hole 32, it is not easy to stably position the substrate on the cooling plate 30 due to the pressure difference between the space and an exterior space.